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1. Read verses 31-35. What is Jesus’ testimony about himself? Why does Jesus stand John the Baptist as his witness? How did John the Baptist testify to Jesus? What did Jesus say of John? 2. Read verses 36-40. What are other testimonies weightier than that of John the Baptist and how does each of them testify concerning Jesus? Why couldn’t the Jews hear God’s voice or see his form? What was wrong with their Bible study? 3. Read verses 41-47. What are the reasons of people’s unbelief? What did Moses write about Jesus? What is the contradiction of the unbelieving Jews?

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In our times the testimony of witnesses is very important, particularly in the legal court. When one’s crime is severe like murdering or one’s claim is very sensational, others’ testimonies are of vital importance. To the Jews, Jesus’ claiming of himself was too sensational and revolutionary. Jesus called God his own Father and himself the Son. He gave the people an amazing promise that whoever hears his word and believes him who sent him has eternal life…” And to their amazement he said that all those who are in the grave would hear his voice and come out to be judged. No human being had ever made such a claim of himself. Jesus does not need anyone’s testimony or validity for himself. For he is what he has been speaking of. But on behalf of the Jews and all others, he gives proof of the testimonies of those who testify concerning him. In this postmodern era people try to deny the validity of all the truth and follow new and strange ideas and ways of living. If Jesus’ claim and teachings and works are invalid, how horrible it will be? But when one is convinced that his words and love and life are valid, what a blessing it is! Jesus is the need of all, the desire of all people of all generations. Let’s look at the validity of the person Jesus. First, John’s testimony about Jesus (31-35). Look at verse 31. “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid.” Here Jesus is speaking to the Jews from their viewpoint. According to their law, at least two witnesses are required to testify to verify something. For example no one is put to death on the testimony of only one witness (Dt 17:6; 2 Cor 13:1; 1 Ti 5:19). But Jesus said also in John 8:14, “…Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going…” As we studied in John 1:1, Jesus’ origin is from eternity: he was in the beginning. And Jesus said in John 3:13, “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.” So no human being from the earth can perfectly testify concerning him. Only Jesus can best speak of himself. Yet, Jesus was now speaking to the Jews on their level to somehow appeal to them. Look at verses 32. “There is another who testifies in my favour, and I know that his testimony about me is valid.” Here, “another” can refer to John the Baptist and later to the Father. Jesus talks about John the Baptist first. Look at verses 33-35. “You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. Not that I accept human testimony, but I mention it that you may be saved. John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.” According to Jesus, John the Baptist was the greatest among all those born of women. He was truthful and honest. At the peak of his popularity, he clearly said, “I am not the Christ” and that he was not worthy to untie the thongs of Jesus’ sandals. He testified concerning Jesus as one who was before him, and the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, and the Son of God on whom the Spirit came down and remained and who would baptize with the Holy Spirit, and as one who came from above and is above all (Jn 1:15,29,34; 3:29,31). In short his testimony is that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, sacrificial and eternal. He saves men from sin and gives them eternal life. John testified to Jesus with life-giving spirit. John 10:41 says, “and many people came to him (Jesus). They said, ‘Though John never performed a miraculous sign, all that John said about this man was true.” At that time John’s message and testimony swept the whole nation. No one could question his testimony that lighted people’s heart. But when he lived a life of mission as a witness to Jesus, he was martyred. Indeed he was a lamp that burned and gave light. Jesus said of this great witness concerning himself, not because he needed this human testimony but he wanted to help the Jews accept John’s testimony and be saved. Human testimonies are important and God uses them for our salvation. May God help each of us to be a lamp in our times that burns and gives light. Second, God’s testimony about Jesus (36-40). Look at verse 36. “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me.” As we studied, Jesus did not do his own work. He did only what he saw his Father doing. He did all the Father did. Jesus did not come to this world just to claim, “I am the Son of God,” doing nothing. He did a tremendous work. He said, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.” John 21:25 says, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” Not only in quantity but in quality Jesus’ work was beyond human. He did the work no human being could do. Jesus changed water into wine. He talked with Nicodemus and taught him all night long to open his spiritual eyes to see the kingdom of God and the love of God. He had a conversation with a Samaritan woman in the heat of the day until her soul was revived and she became a new person. He healed a dying son of a royal official with a word spoken from a far distance. And he healed a 38-year invalid man with his words of command, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” What is so great about Jesus’ healing a 38-year paralytic? It is mentioned again in John chapter 7. This is an example of Jesus’ life-giving work through his words. Jesus did not just come to heal the sick. He came to make spiritually deadened alive through hearing his word. His word has life-giving and creating power. He came to do this life-giving work and finish it. He was doing the work of life-imparting at that time, and he would finish it. To demonstrate the power of his word, he raised a dead Lazarus from the grave by his word of command, “Lazarus, come out!.” That was the peak of his life-giving work as the last miraculous sign in John’s gospel. Jesus said in John 10:37, “Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” God testified to Jesus through the work he had given him to do. Jesus’ work would forever remain in history until the end of the age. And his life-giving work has been done generation after generation through those who absolutely believe the power of Jesus’ word. It is as Jesus said in John 5:25, “I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.” Even in this postmodern age those who hear the word of Jesus will live. Look at verses 37-38. “And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent.” When Jesus was baptized, a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (Mk 1:11). And heaven being torn open, the Spirit descended on him like a dove. When Jesus prayed before the hour of his crucifixion, “…Father, glorify your name!” a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again” (Jn 12:28). Jesus is the visible form of God and he spoke the word of God to the Jews. But the word of God could not dwell in them because of their unbelief. Instead of believing the one whom God sent, they rejected him and tried hard to kill. They had no room in their hearts for the word of God, which was spoken directly to them. Look at verses 39-40. “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” They were truly blessed people because they had the holy Scriptures. It was true that by studying the Scripture they would possess eternal life. But their refusing to come to Jesus showed that they were wrong with their Bible study. They close-mindedly studied the Scriptures with their own preconceived thoughts and beliefs. Instead of seeking for God’s way and being changed according to the truth of God, they sought to confirm their ways and gratify their human desires. Their seemingly diligent Bible study bore no fruit in them. They only piled up their Bible knowledge to judge and reject God’s servants and hinder the work of God. The holy Scriptures would make them wise for salvation, and be useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Tim 3:15,16). But their Bible study did not go in that way. We learn the importance of right motive and right attitude in studying the Bible. It is true that Bible study leads people to have eternal life through his Son Jesus Christ whom God sent. All those who study the Bible with a seeking and humble heart grow in knowledge of salvation and possess eternal life. (examples). The more we study the Bible, the more we realize that the Bible is truly God’s greatest gift for mankind, and it is God’s love story for men through his Son Jesus Christ. God’s love is enduring and never fails. In the Old Testament God promised to send his Son as the Saviour for sinful human beings. In the New Testament God kept the promise and sent his Son Jesus as the confirmation of his love for sinners. The Son came and died for all sinners. In our times the general atmosphere of society rejects the Bible, the best gift of God. As the Prophet Daniel said, the truth seemed to be thrown to the ground. But the Bible will stand as God’s truth as long as the earth endures, for God himself protects the Bible. Isaiah prophesied, “In the last days…Many people will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.’ The law will go out from Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem” (Isa 2:3; Micah 4:2). Many people will come to Christ Jesus through Bible study and be saved. And the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea (Isa 11:9; Hab 2:14). God testifies to Jesus through Bible generation after generation. Third, people’s rejection of Jesus (41-47). Look at verses 41,42. “I do not accept praise from men, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts.” Those who love God and the truth can believe in Jesus (Jn 3:21). Look at verse 43, “I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him.” Jesus always said, “The Father has sent me.” He did not come in his own name. This was the main reason Jesus was so persecuted and later killed. The Jews seemed to believe the LORD, but in truth they hated God, so they hated Jesus despite numerous inevitable evidences of his Messiah-ship (Jn 15:25). In our times when we come to people in the name of God or Christ, their attitude toward us becomes different and hostile?; some even become furious as soon as they hear the word, “God.” They say, “If you come in your own name, I’ll accept you and want to be friends. Just don’t mention God.” People of our times extremely hate God and his people. They seem to have a strong allergy to Christ Jesus. They want to leave God out of their lives and try to stick together without God. We are living in an unbelieving social environment. Look at verse 44. “How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?” How ironic it is that while rejecting God they accept praise from one another? Receiving praise from others or praising others is good. People need comfort and encouragement from one another. Praise coming from sincere love can build us up. But praise for the sake of praise can make people blind to see and recognize their true self before God. It can lift them up emotionally at that moment, but in the long run it tears them down. Those who only receive praise from men hardly come to God. Constant praise can make people slaves of others’ recognition and praise. Rejection from people, however, can make us come to God, who gives us true comfort. When we make effort to obtain the praise coming from God, we can be firm and free. And we ourselves should be careful not to offer cheap praise or sympathy to others. Cheap sympathy makes others weak and spoils our children. Bible says repeatedly, “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him” (Pro 13:24), “Discipline your son, for in that there is hope;” (Pro 19:18), “Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die. Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death” (Pro 23:13,14). We must remember that Jesus was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering from childhood (Isa 53:3). Look at verses 45-47. “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?” Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible, Pentateuch. The Pentateuch was not just the story of the formation of God’s people Israelites and laws and rules for them. These are also the books of prophetic insight pointing to the coming Messiah. From Genesis we see the implications of the Messiah’s coming. Those who truly knew the books of Moses could come to Jesus. When Philip received Jesus’ calling and followed him, he confessed, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law…” (Jn 1:45). The Jew rejected Jesus and claimed that they believed Moses, setting their hope in him. But in truth they did not believe what Moses wrote. Their unbelief was not just the unbelief of Jesus, but that of Moses and God. They fell into their contradiction. Those who do not believe in God and accept Christ fall into contradiction. They cannot be truly honest toward themselves. Our true self or our conscience testifies to Jesus, the Christ. Those who are made in the image of God seek God, and all those who seek God and the truth come to Christ. We thank God for valid and undeniable testimonies about Jesus. In the most modern era, may we have rock-like faith in Jesus, the Son of God and live as true and courageous witnesses of Jesus, seeking God’s praise

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